Q&A for How to Write a Reflection Paper

Teachers assign reflection papers to encourage you to explore your own ideas about what you just read or experienced. It's really about how the work made you feel. One of the most common mistakes is to summarize the work or other people's opinions about it, rather than expressing your own opinion.

Typically, a reflection paper should start with information that puts your reflection in context. For example, you might start by talking about your expectations or prior knowledge of the topic before experiencing the content you are reflecting on. If you’re reflecting on something like a book or film, you might include a very brief summary early in your reflection.

Format the reflection paper the same way you would any other APA essay. It should be double spaced, with the title in a header in all caps at the top left of each page and the page number at the top right. Include a title page with the title, your name, and any other required information (like the name of your class or school). You might also need to include a brief abstract, or summary, of your reflection on the first page. If you include any citations, use the APA guidelines to format them correctly.

A reflection paragraph is simply a shorter format for expressing your thoughts and reflections on a topic. Include a topic sentence that briefly summarizes your thoughts and feelings, then go on to clarify your topic sentence by providing more details and specific examples. You might wrap up by summarizing what you’ve learned or how your experience has changed your thoughts or feelings on the topic in question.

You can use "one" instead. For example, "One might say..." and then give your own opinion or perspective.

It can have as many paragraphs as you see fit, but there is usually at least an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

A cover sheet and title page are only required for a reflection paper if you were explicitly told to include them. Otherwise, they are not necessary.

Think of your answers to the following questions: Do you like dolphins? How have dolphins changed your life? Do dolphins help you with everyday tasks? If you were a dolphin for a day, what would you do? These are the tough questions that you need to ask in order to start writing your paper.

It depends on what your instructor outlines as an expectation. Usually this will be outlined in the assignment if the answer is 'yes".

No. Make a good title for the whole page.

List all of the qualities a leader needs, and then write how each of those leadership roles applies to you.

Once could start with a statement or question: "Has anyone ever promised you secrecy and not followed through with it?"

If you are writing it on a film and a piece of writing, compare and contrast the two. A reflection paper is your personal opinions; write about what you thought of the two - whether you liked or disliked them. Write about how they affected you in any way.

Unless the assignment's instructions specifically states that it does, probably not, but people are always impressed by a catchy title, so you should try to come up with something.

Think about how you have changed, and write about it. Have you learned new information? Have you learned new life lessons, such as to not procrastinate or put forth your best effort into everything? Brainstorm multiple ideas, then pick your favorites to mention in your paper.

First, brainstorm some key effects the arts has had on current social issues. Try to think of poignant examples for each effect. Then take a step back to look at the bigger picture of the effects and examples you have come up with, and decide what your position on the subject is. Then structure your paper as thought it were an argumentative essay, with your thesis and main arguments and counterarguments, but soften the modality so that it comes across as more of a discussion of why you've been led to feel the way you do, rather than a debate in which you intend to prove yourself right.